BMW 130 – Would these alloys put you off buying the car?

[(steven)]

I’m thinking of moving my trusty BMW 130 onto pastures new as I need a daily with more space.

The question is, would these alloy wheels stop you buying the car if everything else was good? (I know the car needs a clean, just focus on the wheels).



The alloys were fitted to the car when I bought it. They are genuine BMW 178 type alloys. They may have been fitted as an option when new, they may have been added later on by the previous owner.

I’ve always thought they suited the car but I know black alloys are a bone of contention. Should I pick up some silver alloys from ebay or leave them?

[5harp3y]

i'd be tempted to change them to silver as black wheels never look right to me and might put people off.

or it might not put anyone off just make sure they are really clean and shiny in any pictures as dirty black wheels look awful

[kiethton]

Re. option or not plug the digits of the vin into an online decoder, it'll give you the full spec and options so you can see if they were(not) standard

[pns]

It may put some off (I'm not keen personally) but will attractive others who'll think they look great (presumably like you when you bought it). I'm sure there'll be plenty of each but you only need one buyer so I'd stick with them.

[Driver101]

Those wheels aren't nice and will put people off buying it.

I'd use that as a bargaining tool and negotiate enough off to pick up a replacement set.

It will sell faster and for more with nice wheels.

[redddraggon]

I think they look good

[Podie]

Not a fan of black alloys, but if the rest of the car was good I'd buy it and have them refurbed to silver.

[Trailhead]

It would put me off - I'd think it was chav owned. If they were silver though, it would be okay.

[Smuler]

If this is a low mileage, good condition, good spec etc. car then I don't think the 130i fanbase (there's a lot on here from what I read) would ignore the ad if in the market for a car. But I think there is a chance someone, whether truthfully or not, will say they prefer the far more usual silver and ask for a price reduction on that basis. The secret is for any price drop to be more favourable to you than changing wheels. Or wait, there will be someone who prefers black and pays the price

[toon10]

Trailhead said:

It would put me off - I'd think it was chav owned. If they were silver though, it would be okay.

Same here. Personally I don't like black wheels and would be thinking what else has been chav'd up. I think it would put a lot of people off but not everyone. I know my brother bought a 5 series after falling in love with it's blacked out windows and the most rediculous aftermarket wheels.

It will sell but may take a bit longer to attract the right buyer. If they were standard I suspect it would sell quicker.

[Podie]

Trailhead said:

It would put me off - I'd think it was chav owned. If they were silver though, it would be okay.

Maybe if they were cheap alloys, but these are genuine BMW option wheels.

[militantmandy]

Surely it's purely a matter of opinion. No different to the paint colour. For what it's worth (nothing) I think they look great.

[Mr Tidy]

I might be looking for a 130i fairly soon, and I definitely wouldn't want those wheels, especially on one that colour.

Saying that if the rest of the car checked out OK it wouldn't put me off, but in the back of my mind would be the thought how much will it cost me to change them or have them repainted.

[sixpistons]

I quite like them - in fact I'd consider a set for my 130i as I think it would be better on smaller wheels - but I think the colour is too dark. I think a few quid spent refinishing them in silver will pay for itself come sale time, or at the very least make it easier to shift.

[texasjohn]

I think they're great, but would look to refurb in silver.

[Lowtimer]

I think they rather let the car down and if I didn't know anything about the owner I would probably just skip past the advert on the grounds that it had probably fallen into unsympathetic hands. I think if I were in your shoes I'd either get them refurbed into the correct colour or pick up a set of original standard-fit wheels second hand and sell those black wheels separately.

[GregK2]

Looks pretty bad, the front tyres look a bigger profile than the rear?
Better pictures (angle / lighting) and some tyre shine may improve the appearance though.

[(steven)]

Thanks for the feedback. A mixed bag, which is what I expected. In all fairness it’s a terrible photo. Here it is from a few weeks ago when it had been cleaned.



To answer some of the questions, the wheels are black as standard. They are sold in silver or black and one of the previous owners went black.

Oh and the tyres should be the same profile as they were fitted at the same time (goes outside to check.......).

[Vee]

Is that an early 1 series ? Were the wheels an option back then ?
I think it looks terrible and whilst it wouldn't put me off in terms of the car's previous history, I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of refurbishing or getting another set in silver.
You will probably get more interest it you put them back to silver yourself.

[swanny71]

Assuming it's a good car they'd probably not put me off but I'd definately be factoring in a re-furb in silver or purchasing a set of standard wheels when making an offer on the car.